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Introduction to the Catholic Religion: Beliefs, Practices and History

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• Beliefs and Teachings
• Holy Days and Holidays
• Christianity Origins
• The New Testament
• The Old Testament
• Practical Tools for Christians
• Christian Life For Teens
• Christian Prayers
• Inspirational Bible Devotions
• Denominations of Christianity
• Christian Holidays
• Christian Entertainment
• Key Terms in Christianity
• Latter Day Saints

The Catholic religion was established in the Mediterranean region during the first century CE by a small group of Jewish men and women, one of several sects which were all bent on reforming the Jewish faith. The word "Catholic" (which means "embracing" or "universal") was first used to refer to the early Christian church by the bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch in the 1st century.

Key Takeaways: Catholic Religion

• Catholicism is a Christian religion, a reformation of the Jewish faith that follows the teachings of its founder Jesus Christ.
• Like other Christian religions as well as Judaism and Islam, it is also an Abrahamic religion, and Catholics consider Abraham as the ancient patriarch. 
• The current head of the church is the Pope, who resides in Vatican City. 
• There are 2.2 billion Catholics in the world today, 40 percent of whom live in Latin America. 

According to figures from the seat of the church, the Vatican in Rome, there are currently 1.2 billion Catholics in the world today: 40 percent of them live in Latin America.

What Catholics Believe

The Catholic religion is monotheistic , meaning that Catholics believe that there is only one supreme being, called God. The Catholic God has three aspects, known as the Trinity.

The Supreme Being is the creator, called God or God the Father, who resides in heaven and watches over and guides everything on earth. He is known as the lord of heaven and earth, and referred to as almighty, eternal, immeasurable, incomprehensible, and infinite in understanding, will, and perfection.

The Holy Trinity is made up of the Father (God), who has no origin and holds the sole power of creation; the Son (Jesus Christ) of God, who shares the wisdom of the Father; and the Holy Spirit, which is the personification of goodness and sanctity, arising from both the Father and Son.

The legendary Founder of the Catholic Church was a Jewish man named Jesus Christ who lived in Jerusalem and preached to a small group of followers. Catholics believe he was the "messiah," the son aspect of the Trinity, who was sent to Earth and born to redeem those who sin against the true religion. Christ is said to have had a human body and a human soul, identical to other humans except that he was without sin. Important religious events which are said to have occurred in the life of Christ are a virgin birth, miracles he performed during his life, martyrdom by crucifixion, resurrection from the dead, and ascension into heaven.

Significant Historical Figures

None of the individuals named in the Catholic religion as significant or sanctified figures have powers of creation, and as such, they are not to be worshiped, but they can be appealed to for intercession in prayers.

Mary is the name of the human person who was the mother of Jesus Christ, a resident of Bethlehem and Nazareth. She was told by an archangel that she would give birth to Christ as a virgin, and would remain a virgin after the birth. On her death, her body went through the process known as "the assumption," becoming the Queen of Heaven.

The Apostles were the original 12 disciples of Christ: led by Peter, a Galilean fisherman who might have been a follower of John the Baptist first. The others are Andrew, James the Greater, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Lesser, Jude, Simon, and Judas. After Judas committed suicide, he was replaced by Matthias.

Saints are people who lived an exceptionally holy life, including many martyrs from the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, and afterward, are said to reside eternally with God in heaven.

The Pope is the supreme pastor for the Catholic church. The first pope was the apostle Peter, followed by Clement of Rome around the year 96.

Written Records and Authorities

The main religious document of the Catholic religion is the Judeo-Christian Bible, which Catholics believe to be the inspired word of God. The text includes the Old Testament of the Hebrew religion plus the canonical books of the New Testament as they were established in the 4th century CE. Parts of the Bible are to be read as literal truth; other parts are considered poetical expressions of faith and the church leaders define which parts are which.

Canonical law for Catholics emerged from Judaism in the 3rd century CE but did not become universal for the church until the 20th century. Three main works establishing the canon include Didache ("Teaching"), a Syrian document in Greek written between 90–100 CE; the Apostolic Tradition, a Greek manuscript written in either Rome or Egypt in the early 3rd century, and the Didaskalia Apostolorum ("The Teaching of the Apostles"), from northern Syria and written in the early 3rd century.

Commandments of the Church

There are several types of commandments—rules defining ethical behavior—that are included in Catholic dogma. The two major commandments of the Catholic religion are that believers must love God and keep his commandments. The Ten Commandments are the Jewish laws recorded in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy:

• I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
• Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
• Honor thy father and thy mother.
• Thou shalt not kill.
• Thou shalt not commit adultery.
• Thou shalt not steal.
• Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
• Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods.

In addition, there are six chief commandments of the Catholic church. A Catholic adhering to the laws of the church must:

• Attend Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
• Fast and abstain on appointed days.
• Confess sins once a year.
• Receive Holy Communion at Easter.
• Contribute to the support of the church.
• Observe the laws of the church concerning marriage.

The seven sacraments are ways in which bishops or priests intercede with or bring grace from God to ordinary people. These are the rites of baptism; confirmation; first Eucharist; penance or reconciliation; anointing of the sick; holy orders for ordained ministers (bishops, priests, and deacons); and marriage.

Prayer is an important aspect of Catholic life and there are five types of prayer performed by Catholics: blessing, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise. Prayers may be directed to God or to the saints , either individually or as a litany .

The main tenets of the Catholic religion are that 1) God is universal and loves everyone; 2) Jesus Christ came to save all the people; 3) not formally belonging to the Catholic church is objectively sinful, and 4) no one who is sinful makes it into heaven.

Creation Story

The Catholic creation story says that God created the universe out of the void, first starting with the angels. One of the angels (Satan or Lucifer) rebelled and took a legion of angels with him (called Demons) and formed the underworld (Hell). Heaven is where goodness resides; Hell is where evil resides, and Earth is where evil and good are at battle.

The world was created in seven days. On the first day, God created the heavens, earth, and light; the firmament on the second; the grass, herbs, and fruit trees on the third; the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth, the creatures of the air and sea on the fifth, and the creatures of the land (including the first human) on the sixth day. On the seventh day, God rested.

The Afterlife

Catholics believe that when a person dies, the soul lives on. Each soul faces a "particular judgment," that is to say, God determines whether she or he has lived a good life and where she or he should spend eternity. If a person has learned to perfectly love God, her soul will go straight to heaven to enjoy endless happiness. If a person loves God imperfectly, her soul will go to Purgatory, where she will be purified before (eventually) going to heaven. If a person has rejected God's love or commits a mortal sin and dies before repenting, he is condemned to the everlasting torments of hell.

Some doctrines state that there is a fourth state called "limbo" where resides a soul who has not been baptized but has not committed any personal sin.

The Catholic church believes that Christ will return to earth to save it again, announced by signs such as famine, pestilence, natural disasters, false prophets, wars, the renewed persecution of the church, and the fading of faith. The world will end with a revolt of Satan and his demons ("The Great Apostasy"), a time of great sorrows ("The Great Tribulation"), and the appearance of an Anti-Christ, who will deceive men into believing he is a man of peace and justice.

When Christ returns, the bodies of the dead will be resurrected and reunited with their souls, and Christ will make a final judgment on them. Satan and his Demons and sinning humans will be thrown into Hell; people who belong in Heaven will go there.

Feasts and Holy Days

From the earliest days of the Church, Easter has been considered the central Christian feast. Easter's date is calculated based on the phases of the moon and the spring equinox. Although there are no special rites other than going to church performed on Easter in the west, members of the Eastern Orthodox Church will often recite the Homily of St. John Chrysostom  as well. Prior to Easter day is a 40-day period known as Lent, which has several important days and rites.

Next in importance are the festivals at Christmas, including Advent , the 40 days before the celebrated date for the birth of Jesus Christ, as well as events afterward.

Coming 50 days after Easter and 10 days after the Ascension , Pentecost marks the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. For that reason, it is often called the "the birthday of the Church."

History of the Founding of the Catholic Church

The Catholic church is traditionally said to have been founded on Pentecost, the 50th day after its founder Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. On that day, Christ's apostle Peter preached to the "multitudes," people assembled in Rome including Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to the Cyrenes. Peter baptized 3,000 new Christians and sent them back to their home countries to spread the word.

The period from the Pentecost until the death of the last Apostle is known as the Apostolic Era, and it was during that time that the church went underground because of Roman persecution. The first Christian martyr was Stephen in Jerusalem about 35 CE, about the same time Paul of Tarsus , who would become an important leader in the early church, was converted to Christianity while on the road to Damascus. Early church leaders met at the Council of Apostles and Elders in 49, to discuss how to modify the rules to allow new converts to be admitted, even if they were not Jews, such as lifting dietary and circumcision rules. Paul began his missionary work to Cyprus and Turkey, and he and Peter were executed in Rome.

The 2nd and 3rd centuries saw continuing persecution of Christians by the Romans, who also persecuted other sects including Jewish and Manichean religious groups. The heroic ideal of martyrdom was experienced by men and women, young and old, slaves and soldiers, wives and popes. Not all Roman emperors were uniformly brutal, and during the centuries after Christianity became the state religion, they too practiced persecution of other non-Christian groups.

Establishing Institutions

The first Pope was Peter, although the leaders of the church were not called "pope" until the sixth century—Peter was officially the Bishop of Rome. There is some evidence that after Peter died, a group of bishops supervised the church in Rome, but the second official Pope was Clement in 96. The idea of a monarchical Pope was developed in the eastern part of the church and spread into Rome by the second century. Within 100 years, the control of the Bishop in Rome included regions outside of the city and Italy, through the direct intervention of Pope Stephen I.

Stephen broke the church into regional precincts called dioceses and set up a three-tiered episcopate: the bishops of dioceses, the bishops of larger towns, and the bishops of the three major sees: Rome, Alexandria. and Antioch. Eventually, Constantinople and Jerusalem also became major sees.

Schisms and Change

The most significant changes to the church came after the conversion of Emperor Constantine, who made Christianity the state religion in 324 CE, bringing the Christians out of the underground. The Roman Empire was eventually broken up by barbarian invaders, invaders who in turn converted to Christianity. Evangelization and conversion of central and northern Europe spread Christianity into those regions.

Beginning in the early 7th century, the eastern church was threatened by the rise of Islam, although Muslim forces did not take Constantinople until 1453. Christians under the Islamic empire were a tolerated minority; eventually, a schism between eastern and western churches led to the separation of eastern (to be called Orthodox) and western (Catholic or Roman Catholic) churches.

The final great schism affecting the Catholic church was in 1571, when Martin Luther led the Reformation, dividing the church and leading to the emergence of Protestantism.

Difference Between Catholic and Protestant Religions

The differences between the Catholic and Protestant religions were one result of the 6th century Protestant Reformation of the church led by Martin Luther . Major changes Luther pushed for include the reduction in the number of sanctified and significant figures who should be prayed to, publishing the Bible in German (provided in Latin or Greek, it had been only accessible to educated authorities), and the marriage of priests. Luther was excommunicated for his beliefs.

• Bokenkotter, Thomas. "A Concise History of the Catholic Church (Revised and Expanded)." New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2007. Print.
• " How many Roman Catholics are there in the world? " BBC News. London, British Broadcasting Company 14 March 2013. 
• Tanner, Norman. "New Short History of the Catholic Church." London: Burns and Oates, 2011. Print.
• Development of Christian Denominations
• Is the Date of Easter Related to Passover?
• A Concise History of the Roman Catholic Church
• The Papacy of the Catholic Church
• Religion in Italy: History and Statistics
• What Is the Catholic Church?
• The Great Schism of 1054 and the Split of Christianity
• Biography of Ignatius of Antioch: Apostolic Father, Christian Martyr
• What Is a Saint?
• History and Beliefs of the Waldensians
• Compare Major Beliefs of 7 Christian Denominations
• Holy Saturday
• Scripture Readings for Ash Wednesday Through the First Week of Lent
• The Litany of the Saints
• Bishops in the Medieval Christian Church
• Easter in the Catholic Church

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Why are you proud to be Catholic?

Article Details

Casey McCorry

February 10, 2020

We asked people across the Archdiocese of Detroit, “why are you proud to be Catholic?” Here’s what they shared.

Mark Grabowski, Divine Child, Dearborn

“My Catholic faith has always been a part of who I am. I was raised in a Catholic family, attended a Catholic elementary and high school and now attend John Carroll University in Cleveland, where my pride in my Catholic faith has grown as I’ve come to realize just how much God loves us, and learned to share that with my community. However, it isn’t always this easy. In college, there are so many distractions. There will be days where I lack the motivation to live out my Catholic faith. My faith has been tested and I have failed before. I have felt lost. Going to daily Mass has allowed me to grow closer to God and find myself in him and the Eucharist. It took a lot of courage and strength to continuously go to daily Mass, but seeing my relationship with God as a friend has completely changed my mindset. You have to make time to have a relationship with your friends, and it’s the same with God. Even through these days of struggle, God’s love always prevails, and this allows me to continuously be proud of my Catholic faith.”

“You have to make time to have a relationship with your friends, and it’s the same with God.”

Camille Graves, St. Moses the Black, Detroit

I’m a Black cradle Catholic with a Detroit Catholic education from elementary school through college. I’ve lived in the same northwest Detroit neighborhood most of my life, in earshot of the bells of at least six different parishes.

I witnessed the changes in my city and, yet pride in my Catholicism not only survives but thrives. It’s forever rooted in childhood experiences, revitalized by the Eucharist, rejuvenated by singing with the Black Catholic Ministries Gospel Choir and empowered by witnessing corporal works of mercy in action.

Growing up, I was inspired by the commitment of the Sisters of Charity who educated me and the Home Visitors of Mary who embraced my neighbors. Along with all the joys of raising my children and nurturing theirs, I’m most fulfilled when experiencing Christian service. As a service coordinator, I’m frequently overwhelmed by the calls of the poor and humbled by the response of the generous. Our parish food pantry feeds the hungry and clothes the cold. Parishioners and seminarians visit our homebound, and volunteers help neighbors avoid utility shut-off or eviction. I’m so proud of being Catholic and part of such a team of joyful missionary disciples!

“I was inspired by the commitment of the Sisters of Charity who educated me and the Home Visitors of Mary who embraced my neighbors.”

Matt Lorio, St. Paul of Tarsus, Clinton Township

“‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. Only say the word and my soul shall be healed.’ This has always been the most impactful part of the Catholic Mass for me.  Even as a young altar boy, the concept of believing in the powerful nature of that phrase began to shape who I am today: Jesus, I have no right to ask for your intercession, because I am flawed, so just say a simple word from a distance, and I’ll accept what comes from that. Right after I repeat those words at Mass, I realize how unconditionally I am loved. How fantastic it is to be able to celebrate being renewed this way at every Mass.

There have been times in my life when situations have challenged my faith, but at the core of all of these challenging times, those powerful words resonate with me. They have helped me realize, once again, that no matter what we are faced with, how dark things seem, how unworthy we may think our needs are, because of faith, we are always loved. Always. Love overcomes all. Being Catholic has taught me that, and I am proud to be Catholic.”

“Love overcomes all. Being Catholic has taught me that, and I am proud to be Catholic.”

Maia Cook, St. Aloysius, Downtown Detroit

“I am proud to be Catholic because being Catholic means being resilient. No matter what hardships are placed in our way, we overcome them. In hard times, your faith is all that you have. The Catholic faith has taught me a sense of community. We have experienced difficult times within our church, and we depend on one another as a guide to the end of the tunnel. The Catholic church is evolving, and in my opinion, there is no better time than now to be Catholic. I love that we are able to keep the traditions we hold near and dear to our hearts, but we are also implementing modern approaches as well.”

“I am proud to be Catholic because being Catholic means being resilient.”

Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda

“I am very proud to be Catholic, for I can share the Good News of our Lord and the true faith as an active member according to the teachings of the church. I am proud and blessed to be nurtured with the loving sacrament of the Eucharist and experience the mercy of God in the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation. I am proud to call Mary my mother and ask for her intercession as a joyful missionary of our Lord. And finally, I am proud to be surrounded by a cloud of witnesses — our saints — who intercede for me in this awesome ministry of service to the church.”

“I am proud and blessed to be nurtured with the loving sacrament of the Eucharist.”

Lynda LoPiccolo, St. Mary Queen of Creation, New Baltimore

“I have strong faith and a close personal relationship with Jesus. I got this from the Catholic Church. I remember that even as a young girl, I loved going to Mass every Sunday morning. During the readings, I felt the Lord speaking to me … directly to me! It was so profound and touched my heart like nobody else could. I love my Catholic faith!

Where else would I go to celebrate the sacraments? Where would I go to be cleansed by the sacrament of reconciliation? Where could I go to receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ every time I partake in holy Communion? I love my Catholic faith!

There are so many opportunities to grow in our faith, to grow in our knowledge of Scripture and to grow in our relationship with Jesus. There are so many ways to give back to God and to help our neighbors in need. We have our Blessed Mother and all the angels and saints, as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ, to call upon for intercessory prayers. When traveling, we never have to go far to find a Catholic church.

I am truly blessed and proud to be Catholic. I trust in Jesus and his divine providence. I love my Catholic faith!”

“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” — John 6:68

“When traveling, we never have to go far to find a Catholic church.”

Essay on My Religion Is Roman Catholic

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Religion Is Roman Catholic in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My Religion Is Roman Catholic

Introduction to my religion.

I am a Roman Catholic, one of the oldest branches of Christianity. This religion is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. The name “Roman Catholic” comes from its connection with the Pope, who is based in Rome.

The Importance of Mass

As a Roman Catholic, going to church for Mass is very important. This is a special time where we listen to Bible readings, pray together, and receive Holy Communion. It’s a way to feel closer to God and to remember Jesus’ sacrifices for us.

Significance of Sacraments

In my religion, there are seven special ceremonies known as sacraments. These include Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Each sacrament is a way to receive God’s grace.

Role of the Pope

The Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. He guides us in understanding and living out our faith. We respect and listen to his teachings because he is considered the successor of Saint Peter, who was chosen by Jesus.

Living as a Roman Catholic

Being a Roman Catholic influences every part of my life. It teaches me about love, forgiveness, and service to others. I try to live these teachings every day, showing kindness to others and helping those in need.

250 Words Essay on My Religion Is Roman Catholic

Introduction.

I am a Roman Catholic. This is the religion I was born into and have followed all my life. It is a branch of Christianity, one of the world’s main religions. It has a big impact on how I live my life and see the world.

As a Roman Catholic, I believe in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. These three are known as the Holy Trinity. We believe that Jesus is the son of God, who came to Earth to save us from our sins. We also believe in life after death and that good actions on Earth lead to a place called Heaven.

Prayer is a big part of my religion. We pray to communicate with God and ask for his guidance. We also have a special book called the Bible, which is very important. It is full of stories and teachings that guide us in our lives.

In the Roman Catholic Church, there are seven special rituals called sacraments. These include Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. These sacraments are important steps in our spiritual journey and help us to grow closer to God.

Being a Roman Catholic means being part of a large and diverse global community. We come together to worship at a place called a church. Here, we take part in a service called Mass, led by a priest.

In conclusion, being a Roman Catholic shapes my life in many ways. It guides my beliefs, my actions, and my sense of community. It is a part of who I am and I am proud to be a part of this faith.

500 Words Essay on My Religion Is Roman Catholic

What is roman catholic.

Roman Catholic is a type of Christianity. It is one of the oldest and largest branches of Christianity. The word “Catholic” means “universal”. This means that it is a faith for all people, from all countries, and for all time.

Beliefs of Roman Catholics

Roman Catholics believe in Jesus Christ. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he came to earth to teach us about love and forgiveness. Roman Catholics also believe in the Holy Trinity. This is the belief that God is three persons in one: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

The Bible and Tradition

Roman Catholics use the Bible as a guide for their faith. The Bible is a collection of books that tell about God’s love for us and how we should live. But Roman Catholics also follow traditions that have been passed down through the ages. These traditions help to explain the teachings of the Bible and make them more meaningful.

The Seven Sacraments

Sacraments are special rituals that help Roman Catholics to grow closer to God. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Each sacrament is a way to receive God’s grace and love.

Church and Community

For Roman Catholics, the Church is like a big family. It is a place to gather and worship God. It is also a place to help and support each other. The Church is not just a building; it is a community of people who share the same faith and values.

Prayer in Roman Catholic Life

Prayer is very important in the Roman Catholic faith. It is a way to talk to God and listen to what He has to say. Roman Catholics pray in many different ways. They can pray alone or with others. They can pray in church or at home. They can pray using words from the Bible or words that come from their heart.

In conclusion, being a Roman Catholic means believing in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity, following the teachings of the Bible and tradition, participating in the sacraments, being part of a church community, and praying regularly. It is a faith that guides how we live and treat others. It is a faith that brings hope and peace.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Essay on What is Religion for Students and Children

500+ words essay on what is religion.

Religion refers to a belief in a divine entity or deity. Moreover, religion is about the presence of God who is controlling the entire world. Different people have different beliefs. And due to this belief, many different cultures exist.

Further, there are a series of rituals performed by each religion. This is done to please Gods of their particular religion. Religion creates an emotional factor in our country. The Constitution of our country is secular . This means that we have the freedom of following any religion. As our country is the most diverse in religions, religion has two main sub broad categories:

Monotheistic Religion

Monotheistic religions believe in the existence of one God. Some of the monotheistic religions are:

Islam: The people who follow are Muslims . Moreover, Islam means to ‘ surrender’ and the people who follow this religion surrender themselves to ‘Allah’.

Furthermore, the holy book of Islam is ‘ QURAN’, Muslims believe that Allah revealed this book to Muhammad. Muhammad was the last prophet. Above all, Islam has the second most popular religion in the entire world. The most important festivals in this religion are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Christianity: Christian also believes in the existence of only one God. Moreover, the Christians believe that God sent his only Jesus Christ for our Salvation. The Holy book of Christians is the Bible .

Furthermore, the bible is subdivided into the Old Testament and the New Testament. Most Importantly, Jesus Christ died on the cross to free us from our sins. The people celebrate Easter on the third day. Because Jesus Christ resurrected on the third day of his death.

However, the celebration of Christmas signifies the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Above all Christianity has the most following in the entire world.

Judaism: Judaism also believes in the existence of one God. Who revealed himself to Abraham, Moses and the Hebrew prophets. Furthermore, Abraham is the father of the Jewish Faith. Most Noteworthy the holy book of the Jewish people is Torah.

Above all, some of the festivals that Jewish celebrate are Passover, Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement, Hanukkah, etc.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Polytheistic Religion

Polytheistic religions are those that believe in the worship of many gods. One of the most believed polytheistic religion is:

Hinduism: Hinduism has the most popularity in India and South-east Asian sub-continent. Moreover, Hindus believe that our rewards in the present life are the result of our deeds in previous lives. This signifies their belief in Karma. Above all the holy book of Hindus is ‘Geeta’. Also, Hindus celebrate many festivals. Some of the important ones are Holi-The festival of colors and Diwali- the festival of lights.

Last, there is one religion that is neither monotheistic nor polytheistic.

Buddhism: Buddhism religion followers do not believe in the existence of God. However, that does not mean that they are an atheist. Moreover, Buddhism believes that God is not at all the one who controls the masses. Also, Buddhism is much different from many other religions. Above all, Gautam Buddha founded Buddhism.

Some FAQs for You

Q1. How many types of religions are there in the entire world?

A1. There are two types of religion in the entire world. And they are Monotheistic religions and Polytheistic religions.

Q2. What is a Polytheistic religion? Give an example

A2. Polytheistic religion area those that follow and worship any Gods. Hinduism is one of the examples of polytheistic religion. Hindus believe in almost 330 million Gods. Furthermore, they have great faith in all and perform many rituals to please them.

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How to Write an Essay on a Religion

Religious Beliefs of the Japanese Military

A world religion paper can seem intimidating at first. Simply break the religion down into smaller elements can help. One is an overview of the origins. Then, address the "three Cs": Creed (teachings and meaning of life), Code (ethical standards, rules and customs), and Cult (worship methods and rituals). Sticking to the three Cs makes a religion essay of any length more manageable.

Write about the origins of the religion. Every religion traces itself back to a particular founder, a particular people or the religious experience of a particular person. All religions have a history. Explore that history in the first section of the religion paper.

Write about the religion's major beliefs: creed. All religions have developed doctrines, which shape the methods for teaching, studying and passing along the religion. Some of these doctrines are written down in books, like the Bible or the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Others are passed down orally from generation to generation. In the second section of your religious essay, explore some of the major teachings of the religion.

Write about the religion's ethical code: code. Most religions have concerns about the behavior of followers. Codes direct right ways and wrong ways to act. Sometimes, acting correctly brings benefits and acting incorrectly brings punishment. In the third section of your paper, explore the religion's approach to morals.

Write about the religion's major rituals: cult. Rituals reinforce the community's sense of purpose and also help people get through crucial times in their life, such as the birth of a child, puberty, marriage, and the death of a loved one. In the last section of the religion essay, explore two or three of the religion's characteristic rituals.

• Remember that different religions originate in cultures with different languages. It's important to get the names of historical figures and rituals right, to spell them correctly, and to not make assumptions about meaning that can't be substantiated by the texts.
• To avoid accusations of plagiarism, cite all your sources.

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• The Study of Religion in an Age of Global Dialogue; Leonard Swidler & Paul Mojzes; 2000

History of Catholic Church Essay

Catholic religion dominated the lives of the medieval people between the 5 th and the 15 th century. Whether one was a peasant or a King, he/she had to dedicate his/her life to the church. Catholic religion became the only acceptable Christian religion, as it had a universal meaning. So powerful was the institution that it had its own lands, taxes, and laws. Apart from tax collection, the Catholic Church received gifts from people who wanted favors from heaven.

With the power, the church became so wealthy that it could even influence decisions of European Kings (“Middle Ages Religion” par. 4). Attempts to oppose the Catholic Church would lead to excommunication. It was not easy to dislodge Christianity from the lives and minds of the medieval men and women, as it was a template of ideas and modes of behavior. Within hours of birth an individual had to be baptized since it was one of the important events in the lives of medieval people.

Christianity of the medieval age had rituals and symbolisms in its practice. The village priest was responsible for consistent and regular administration of vital sacraments. In addition, he had the role of absolving women and men of their sins upon confession. Notably, the church wielded a lot of power during the medieval period in Europe.

The rise of Charlemagne and Carolingian Empire helped in protecting the church from criticism, and went on to unite its people under the church (“Middle Ages Religion” par. 7). He further organized for training programs for the clergy in order to make them more intellectual, moral and effective in their service delivery.

Renaissance humanism consists of teachings of Roman and Greek that scholars compiled in Italy and later spread across Europe (“Renaissance Humanism” par. 1). Humanism developed to challenge the utilitarian approach and its scholastic education associated with it. It aimed at instilling creativity skills in men and women, as well as reading and writing skills.

The whole concept of renaissance humanism drifted away from the medieval Christianity given that it intended to encourage independence of the mind. In Italy, for instance, Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) who stood for conservative humanism had to balance extreme piety and frank secularism given the evidence and accuracy of ideas from most scientific activities (“Renaissance Humanism” par. 5).

This illustrates the rebirth of individualism where one thinks for himself/herself; however, the rise of caste system in the church suppressed the concept of individualism.

For instance, the church was of the view that individualism brought arrogance and rebellion to Christian teachings. Humanists were more concerned with the surrounding environment than with heaven’s mysteries. Machiavelli included the concept of individual expression and intellectual freedom in his literature, thus eliciting the protestant revolt.

The Byzantine Empire went to war with Bulgaria in the 11 th century. So costly was the war that the Byzantine could not fight the Ottoman Turks for curving much of the state into Sultunate of Rum.

The capture of the King resulted in several attacks in 1071. Constant attacks by the Islamic neighbors further weakened the empire; this made it lose control over Constantinople in 1204 (Duiker and Spielvoge 47). When the Byzantine Empire lost control of its cities, a puppet government was established that weakened further the essential aspects of the empire.

Misappropriation of funds coupled with the numerous external and internal conflicts resulted in the fall of the once powerful empire in Italy in 1453. In allowing the West into the territory to help fight the Islamists during the first crusade, Byzantine continued to lose grip of the region. The fourth crusade partitioned the empire, hence weakening the King’s influence. From the analysis of the roles that crusades played, it is evident that they facilitated the fall of the Byzantine Empire.

Essay Samples on Religion

Composing your student essay about religion, it’s essential to research your subject first and avoid controversial subjects. The trick is to provide a clear structure that will focus on theological aspects of things. When you strive to compare different religions, do not write in a biased tone and work on your compare-and-contrast essay. The body parts of your religion essay must start with a good topic sentence as you address a particular concept or the roots of some religious notions. It’s always good if you can find reliable sources to support the facts. If you are not sure about some source or an idea that must be explored, you can either talk to an academic advisor or focus on a good religion essay example that we have prepared for you. These will help you get a basic idea of how such essays must be written. See the introduction part in every essay sample provided and don’t forget to stay respectful as you work on the differences and similarities. Check your grading rubric requirements twice. Regarding a good thesis statement, religious essays should only pose assumptions or compose specific claims that are supported with another sentence to avoid misreading or confusion.

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Essay on religion: meaning, nature , role and other details (5931 words).

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Religion is an almost universal institution in human society. It is found in all societies, past and present. All the preliterate societies known to us have religion. Religion goes back to the beginning of the culture itself. It is a very ancient institution. There is no primitive society without religion.

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Like other social institutions, religion also arose from the intellectual power of man in response to certain felt needs of men. While most people consider religion as universal and therefore, a significant institution of societies. It is the foundation on which the normative structure of society stands.

It is the social institution that deals with sacred things, that lie beyond our knowledge and control. It has influenced other institutions. It has been exerting tremendous influence upon political and economic aspects of life. It is said that man from the earliest times has been incurably religious. Judaism, Christianity, Islam (Semitic religions), Hinduism and Buddhism; Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto (Chinese-Japanese religions) etc. are examples of the great religions of the world.

Meaning of Religion:

Religion is concerned with the shared beliefs and practices of human beings. It is the human response to those elements in the life and environment of mankind which are beyond their ordinary comprehension. Religion is pre-eminently social and is found in nearly all societies. Majumdar and Madan explain that the word religion has its origin in the Latin word Rel (I) igio. This is derived from two root words.

The first root is Leg, meaning “together, count or observe”. The second root is Lig, meaning ‘to bind’. The first root refers to belief in and practice of “signs of Divine Communication”. The second root refers to the carrying out those activities which link human beings with the supernatural powers. Thus, we find that the word religion basically represents beliefs and practices which are generally the main characteristics of all religions.

Central to all religions is the concept of faith. Religion in this sense is the organisation of faith which binds human beings to their temporal and transcendental foundation. By faith man is distinguished from other beings. It is essentially a subjective and private matter. Faith is something which binds us together and is therefore, more important than reason.

Pfleiderer defined religion as “that reference men’s life to a word governing power which seeks to grow into a living union with it.”

According to James G. Frazer considered religion as a belief in “Powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life”.

As Christopher Dauson writes, “Whenever and wherever man has a sense of dependence on external powers which are conceived as mysterious and higher than man’s own, there is religion, and the feelings of awe and self-abasement with which man is filled in the presence of such powers is essentially a religious emotion, the root of worship and prayer.”

Arnold W. Green defines religion as “a system of beliefs and symbolic practices and objects, governed by faith rather than by knowledge, which relates man to an unseen supernatural realm beyond the known and beyond the controllable.”

According to Maclver and Page, “Religion, as we understand the term, implies a relationship not merely between man and man but also between man and some higher power.”

As Gillin and Gillin says, “The social field of religion may be regarded as including those emotionalized beliefs prevalent in a social group concurring the supernatural plus crest and behaviour, material objects and symbols associated with such beliefs.”

Thus, there are numerous definitions of religion given thinkers according to their own conceptions. As a matter of fact the forms in which religion expresses itself vary so much that it is difficult to agree upon a definition. Some maintain that religion includes a belief in supernatural or mysterious powers and that it expresses itself in overt activities designed to deal with those powers.

Others regard religion as something very earthly and materialistic, designed to achieve practical ends. Sumner and Keller asserted that, “Religion in history, from the earliest to very recent days, has not been a matter of morality at all but of rites, rituals, observance and ceremony”.

Religion, in fact, is not a mere process of mediations about man’s life; it is also a means of preserving the values of life. While it is possible to define religion as belief in God or some super-natural powers, it is well to remember that there can also be a Godless religion as Buddhism.

Nature of Religion:

In sociology, the word religion is used in a wider sense than that used in religious books. A common characteristic found among all religions is that they represent a complex of emotional feelings and attitudes towards mysterious and perplexities of life.

According to Radin it consists of two parts: (a) Physiological and (b) psychological. The physiological part expresses itself in such acts as kneeling, closing the eyes, touching the feet. The psychological part consists of supernormal sensitivity to certain traditions and beliefs. While belief in supernatural powers may be considered basic to all religion, equally fundamental is the presence of a deeply emotional feeling which Golden Weiber called the “religion thrill”.

If we analyse the great religions of the world, we shall find that each of them contains, five basic elements: (1) belief in supernatural powers, (2) belief in the holy, (3) ritual, (4) acts defined as sinful and (5) some method of salvation.

1. Belief in Supernatural Powers:

The first basic element of religion is the belief that there are supernatural powers. These powers are believed to influence human life and control all natural phenomena. Some call these supernatural forces God, other call them Gods. There are even others who do not call them by any name. They simply consider them as forces in their universe. Thus, belief in the non-sensory, super-empirical world is the first element of religion.

2. Belief in the Holy:

There are certain holy or sacred elements of religion. These constitute the heart of the religion. There are certain things which are regarded as holy or sacred. But a thing is holy or sacred not because of a peculiar quality of thing. An attitude makes a thing holy. The sacred character of a tangible thing is not observable to the senses.

Sacred things are symbols. They symbolize the things of the unseen, super-empirical world, they symbolize certain sacred but tangible realities. When a Hindu worships a cow, he worships it not because of the kind of animal the cow is, but because of a host of super-empirical characteristics which this animal is imagined to represent.

Religious ritual is “the active side of religion. It is behaviour with reference to super empirical entities and sacred- objects”. It includes any kind of behavior (such as the wearing of special clothing and the immersion in certain rivers, in the Ganga for instance), prayers, hymns, creedal recitations, and other forms of reverence, usually performed with other people and in public. It can include singing, dancing, weeping, crawling, starving, feasting, etc. Failure to perform these acts is considered a sin.

4. Acts defined as Sinful:

Each religion defines certain acts as sinful and profane (unholy). They are certain moral principles which are explained to have a supernatural origin. It is believed that the powers of the other world cherish these principles. The violation of these principles creates man’s sense of guilty. It may also bring upon him the disfavour of the supernatural powers. If the behaviour is not in accordance with the religions code, the behaviour or act is considered as sinful.

5. Some Method of Salvation:

A method of salvation is the fifth basic element of religion. Man needs some method by which he can regain harmony with the Gods through removal of guilt. In Hindu religion Moksha or Salvation represents the end of life, the realisation of an inner spirituality in man.

The Hindu seeks release from the bondage of Karma, which is the joy or suffering he undergoes as a result of his actions in his life. The ultimate end of life is to attain Moksha. The Buddhist hopes to attain Salvation by being absorbed in the Godhead and entering Nirvana. The Christian has a redeemer in Christ who gave his life for man’s sins.

In short, religion is the institutionalised set of beliefs men hold about supernatural forces. It is more or less coherent system of beliefs and practices concerning a supernatural order of beings, forces, places or other entities.

Role or Functions of Religion:

Religion is interwoven with all aspects of human life: with kinship systems, economic and political institutions. Prior to the advent of what may be called as “the age of reason”, religion has been the chief supporter of the spiritual and moral values of life. It has shaped domestic, economic and political institutions. Hence, it is obvious that religion performs a number of functions both for the religious group and for the wider society. These functions of religion are discussed bellow.

1. Religion Helps in the Struggle for Societal Survival:

Religion may be said to help in the struggle for societal survival. Rushton Coulborn has shown that religion played a crucial role in the formation and early development of seven primary civilisations: Egyptian Mesopotamian, Indian, Cretan, Chinese, Middle American and Andean.

Religion in each of these societies gave its members the courage needed for survival in an unfavourable environment, by giving explanations to certain aspects of the human conditions which could not be explained in a rational manner. In present societies religion also performs this role.

By relating the empirical world to the super-empirical world religion gives the individual a sense of security in this rapidly changing world. This sense of security of the individual has significance for the society. Since religion helps man to forget the suffering, disappointments and sorrows in this life’, social dissatisfaction and social unrest become less frequent and the social system continues functioning.

2. Religion Promotes Social Integration:

Religion acts as a unifying force and hence, promotes social integration in several ways. Religion plays an important part in crystallising, symbolising and reinforcing common values and norms. It thus provides support for social standards, socially accepted behaviour. Common faith, values and norms etc. are significant in unifying people.

As the individuals perform rituals collectively their devotion to group ends is enhanced. Through a ritual individual expresses common beliefs and sentiments. It thus helps him to identify himself more with his fellows, and to distinguish himself more from members of other groups, communities or nations.

By distinguishing between holy and unholy things, religion creates sacred symbol for the values and this symbol becomes the rallying point for all persons who share the same values. The cow as a sacred symbol of the Hindus, for example, is a rallying point which gives cohesion to Hindu society.

Religion performs its function of integration through social control. It regulates the conduct of individuals by enforcing moral principles on them and by prescribing powerful sanctions against them for violation.

3. Religion helps to knit the Social Values of a Society into a Cohesive Whole:

It is the ultimate source of social cohesion. The primary requirement of society is the common possession of social values by which individuals control the actions of self and others and through which society is perpetuated. These social values emanate from religious faith. Religion is the foundation upon which these values rest.

Children should obey their parents, should not tell a lie or cheat, women should be faithful to men; people should be honest and virtuous are some of the social values which maintain social cohesion. It is religion that asks man to renounce unsocial activities and requires him to accept limitations upon his wants and desires. All the religions have preached love and non-violence. They have emphasized sacrifice and forbearance.

4. Religions Acts as an Agent of Social Control:

It is one of the means of informal means of social control. Religion not only defines moral expectations for members of the religious group but usually enforces them. It supports certain types of social conduct by placing the powerful sanctions of the supernatural behind them.

It makes certain forms of social behaviour as offences not only against society but also against God. Hence, any violation of the acceptable norm is punishable not only by God but by society. Hinduism gives sanction to the caste system which regulates social relations of various classes in India.

5. Religion Promotes Social Welfare:

Religion encourages people to render services to the needy and poor and promote their welfare. It develops philanthropic attitude of people. Help and assistance are rendered to poor and destitute persons due to religion inspiration. It is believed that one can obtain the cherished goal of religion by way of giving alms and assistance to the helpless and needy persons. In this way religion promotes the welfare of individuals, groups and community.

6. Priestly Function:

The priesthood often was dedicated to art and culture. The priests laid the foundations of medicine. Magic supplied the roots of observation and experimentation from which science developed. It also inculcated the habit of charity among the people who opened many charitable institutions like hospitals, rest houses, temples to help the needy and the poor.

7. It Rationalizes and Makes bearable Individual Suffering in the known World:

Religion serves to soothe the man in times of his suffering and disappointment. In this world man often suffers disappointment even in the midst of all hopes and achievements. The things for which he strives are in some measure always denied to him. When human hopes are blighted, when all that was planned and striven for has been swept away, man naturally wants something to console and compensate him.

When a son dies man seeks to assuage his grief in ritualistic exchanges of condolence. On God he puts faith and entertains the belief that some unseen power moves in mysterious ways to make even his loss meaningful. Faith in God compensates him and sustains his interest in life and makes it bearable. In this way religion helps man to bear his frustrations and encourages him to accept his lot on earth.

8. Religion Enhances Self-importance:

It expands one’s self to infinite proportions. Man unites himself with the infinite and feels ennobled. Through unity with the infinite the self is made majestic and triumphant. Man considers himself the noblest work of God with whom he shall be united and his self thus becomes grand and luminous.

Besides this, religion shapes domestic, economic and political institutions. Religion supports institutional pattern more explicitly. All the great religions of the world have attempted to regulate kinship relations, especially marriage and family. Political institutions are often sanctioned by religion: the emperor of China or Japan was sacred; the ruling caste of India was sanctioned by Brahmanism; the kings of France were supposed to rule by divine right.

Religious rites are performed on many occasions in relation to vital events and dominant interests: birth, initiation, marriage, sickness, death, hunting, animal husbandry and so on; and they are intimately concerned with family and kinship interests and with political institutions. Religion is the central element in the life of civilisation.

Religion has also performed some other services to humanity among which Sumner and Keller included the provision of work, the spread of education, the accumulation of capital and the creation of a leisure class.

For thousands of years, religion has exerted a great influence over economic and political life. Even today religion is called upon to support rulers, contacts and other legal procedures.

Dysfunctions of Religion:

In addition to positive functions of religion, there are some negative aspects of its social functions. Although religion is an integrative force, it may be disruptive for the society as a whole. Sumner and Keller, Benjamin Kidd, Karl Marx, Thomas F. O’ Dea and others have pointed the dysfunctions of religion. The dysfunctions of religion are as follows.

1. Religion Inhibits Protests and Hinders Social Changes:

According to Thomas F. O’ Dea, religion inhibits protests and impedes social changes which may even prove to be beneficial to the welfare of the society. All protests and conflicts are not always negative. Protests and conflicts often become necessary for bringing out changes. Some changes would certainly lead to positive reforms. By inhibiting protests and preventing changes religion may postpone reforms.

2. Hampers the Adaptation of Society to Changed Conditions:

Social values and norms emanate from religious faith. Some of the norms which lose their appropriateness under changed conditions may also be imposed by religion. This can “impede a more functionally appropriate adaptation of society to changing conditions.”

For example, during the medieval Europe, the Church refused to grant the ethical legitimacy of money lending at interest, despite the great functional need of this activity in a situation of developing capitalism”. Even today, traditional Muslims face religio-ethical problems concerning interest-taking. Similar social conflict is evident in the case of birth control measures including abortion, in the Catholic world.

3. Religion may Foster Dependence and Irresponsibility:

Religion often makes its followers dependent on religious institutions and leaders. But it does not develop an ability in them to assume individual responsibility. For example, a good number of people in India prefer to take the advises of priests and religious leaders before starting some ventures. But they do not take the suggestion of those who are competent in the field.

4. Promotes Evil Practices:

In its course of development religion has supported and promoted evil practices such as cannibalism, slavery, untouchability, human and animal sacrifice etc.

5. Contributes to Exploitation:

As religion interprets misfortune and suffering in this world as manifestations of the supernatural order itself, it sanctifies the existing social structure. Religion preaches submission to the existing socio-economic condition and to fate.

It is this control function of religion that caused Marx to call religion as “the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opiate of the people.” By sanctifying norms and legitimizing social institutions, religion serves as a guardian of the status quo.

6. Promotes Superstitions:

Religion is the source of many superstitions. These superstitions have caused harm to human being. Superstitions like evil spirits and ghosts cause diseases; poverty is the desire of the God etc. hinder the welfare of human beings.

7. Results Conflicts:

Religion results in inter-group conflicts by dividing people along religious lines. It is deeply related with conflicts. Wars and battles have been fought in the name of religion.

8. Religion Causes Wastes:

Sumner and Keller are of the opinion that religion often causes economic wastes. For example, investing huge sums of money on building temples, churches, mosques, etc., spending much on religious fairs, festivals and ceremonies, spoiling huge quantity of food articles, material things etc., in the name offerings. It leads to waste of human labour, energy and time.

9. Religion Weakens Unity:

Religion creates diversities among people. It creates a gap among them. In the name of God and religion, loot, plundering, mass killing, rape and other cruel and inhuman treatments have been meted out to people.

10. Religion Promotes Fanaticism:

Religion has made people blind, dumb and deaf to the reality. They have faith without reasoning which is blind. On the contrary, it has often made people to become bigots and fanatics. Bigotry and fanaticism have led to persecution, inhuman treatment and misery in the past.

11. Religion Retards Progress:

Religion preserves traditions. It preaches submission to the existing conditions and maintenance of status quo. Religion is not readily amenable to social change and progress.

12. Religion Retards Scientific Achievement:

Religion has tried to prevent the scientists from discovering new facts. For example, it tried to suppress the doctrines of Darwin, Huxley and others.

By placing high premium on divine power religion has made people fatalistic. They think that all events in life is due to some divine power and hence due to fate. As a result, his power and potentiality is undermined. Thus, religion affects the creativity of man.

Marx has strongly criticised religion. For Marx all that was fundamental in the science of society proceeded from the material and especially the economic sphere. For him therefore religion is, to be sure, superstition, but to stop at this point is to limit religion to merely abstract belief.

It leaves the impression that religion may be dislodged simply by new, rational belief. Marx’s sense of the matter is more profound. Merely changing beliefs is not enough. The transformation of an entire social order is required, for belief is deeply rooted in the social relations of men.

Religion, writes Marx, “is the ‘self-consciousness and self-feeling of man who either has not yet found himself or has already lost himself. But man is no abstract being, squatting outside the world. Man is the world of man, the state, and society. This state, this society produce religion, a perverted world consciousness, because they are a perverted world.

Religion is the compendium of that world, its encyclopedic, its enthusiasm, its moral sanction, its solemn completion, its universal ground for consolation and justification. It is the fantastic realization of the human essence because the human essence has no true reality.

Marx believed, like Luduig Feuerbach, that what man gives to God in the form of worship, he takes from himself. That is, man is persuaded through suffering or through false teaching to project what is his to a supernatural being. But he was convinced, unlike Feuerbach, that what is fundamental is not religious forms – against which Feuerbach had urged revolt-but the economic forms of existence.

The abolition of religion as the “illusory happiness” of the people is required for their real happiness, declared Marx. But before religion can be abolished the conditions which nurture it must be done away with. “The demand to give up the illusions about its condition is the demand to give up a condition which needs illusion”.

Marx’s criticism of religion is thus deeply connected with the criticism of right and the criticism of politics. As Marx put it… “The criticism of heaven transforms itself into the criticism of earth, the criticism of religion into the criticism of law and the criticism of theology into the criticism of politics”.

Marx was an atheist as well as a great humanist. He had profound sympathy for all who look up to religion for salvation. This is amply clear from his following observation: “The criticism of religion ends with the teaching that man is the highest essence of man, hence with the categorical imperative to overthrow all relations in which man is debased, enslaved abandoned…”

Changes in Religion:

Change is the very essence of a living thing. A living religion must grow, must advance and must change. No form of religion is static. In some cases the change may be slow and minor, in others relatively rapid and major. Every religion claims its first principle supreme, original and eternal. Hence, there is also an element of censure for change.

Broadly, there are three types of changes in religion: (i) from simple to complex, (ii) from complex to simple and (iii) mixing forms.

Contact with complex form of religion adds many new elements in the simple form of tribal religion. For example, with the gradual spread of Vaishnavism in chhotanagpur, the Oraons tribe which lives in that region, began to reorganise traditional faith.

There are also examples of simplification of complex form of religion, specially of rituals and ceremonies. Buddhism for instance, came as a revolt against the Vedic ritual which was both complex and expensive, and also beyond the common man’s reach. In the 19 century, Brahmo Samaj again tried to simplify the complex nature of Brahmanic Hinduism.

Mixing of more than one form has caused development of new religious organisation. The most excellent example is of Sophism. It has evolved from Persian, Zoroastrianism and Arab Islamism. Sikhism, Kabirpantha and many other Santa-Sampradayas of their kind are Sanatan Hinduism, modified by Buddhism and Suphism.

The history of the development of religion shows that as mankind moves from small isolated village towards large, complex, urban, industrialised society the character of influence of religion on man and his life changes. In the earlier phases of religion the primary needs of mankind, those concerned with the necessities of life, played a dominant part. As man’s knowledge of natural forces grows, he learns to control them by natural methods, that is, by a detailed scrutiny of their causes and conditions.

As religious explanation of the universe is gradually substituted by rational scientific explanations and various group activities (such as politics, education, art and music) have been increasingly transferred from ecclesiastical to civil and other non-religious agencies, the conception of God as a power over man and his society loses its importance. This movement is sometimes referred to as secularisation.

Thus secularisation as Bryan Wilson has defined, refers to the process in which religious thinking, practice and institutions lose social significance. In Europe, secularisation is held to be the outcome of the social changes brought about by urban, industrial society. It means that religious beliefs and practices have tended to decline in modern urban, industrial societies, particularly among the working class in Western societies.

Religion in Western societies has tended to place less emphasis on dogma and more on social values. It has tried to reconcile its doctrine with scientific knowledge. As Barnes has pointed out religion adapted to our changed conditions of life is worth preserving and it must seek to organise. The masses and guide their activities for the benefit of the society rather than for the purpose of pleasing the God.

Secularism as an ideology has emerged from the dialectic of modern science and Protestantism, not from simple repudiation of religion and the rise of rationalism. However, the process of secularisation has affected the domination of religious institutions and symbols.

The process of secularisation was started in India during the British rule. But the process of secularisation took its course unlike Western Europe renaissance and reformation in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The process was very slow.

However, this worldly outlook, rationality and secular education gradually affected various aspects of religion in India. Various laws of social reformation, modern education, transport and communication contributed towards decline in religiosity among the Hindus.

No doubt we are moving from religiosity to secular way of life. But evidences show that religious beliefs have not declined in West as well as in our society. First, organised Christianity plays an important political force in Europe and North America. Second, the vitality of Zionism, militant Islam (Islamic fundamentalism), radical Catholicism in Latin America and Sikhism, fundamentalism and communalism in India suggest that no necessary connection exists between modernisation and secularisation.

All these criticisms are formidable indeed. But it should be noted that the diversity of religious sects and cults in modern societies demonstrates that religion has become an individual matter and not a dominant feature of social life. It can also be argued that, while religion may play a part in ideological struggles against colonialism (as in Iran), in the long run modernisation of society brings about secularisation.

Secularisation:

The history of the development of religion shows that as mankind moves from small isolated villages towards large, complex, urban, industrial society; the influence of religion on man and his life changes. In the earlier phases of religion the primary needs of mankind were very much influenced by it. As man’s knowledge of natural forces grows, he learns to control them by natural methods, that is, by a detailed scrutiny of their causes and conditions.

As religious explanation of the universe is gradually substituted by rational scientific explanations and various group activities (politics, education, art and music) have been increasingly transferred from ecclesiastic to civil and other non-religious agencies, the conception of God as power over man and his society loses its importance. This movement is sometimes referred to as secularization.

Secularism as an ideology has emerged from the dialectic of modern science and Protestantism, not from a simple repudiation of religion and the rise of rationalism.

‘Secularisation’, in the words of Peter Berger, refers to ‘the process by which sectors of society and culture are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols.

Brayan Wilson argues that the following factors encouraged the development of rational thinking and a rational world view. Firstly, ascetic Protestantism, which created an ethic which was pragmatic, rational controlled and anti-emotional. Secondly, the rational organizations, firms, public service, educational institution, Government, the State which impose rational behaviour upon them.

Thirdly, the greater knowledge of social and physical world which results from the development of physical, biological and social sciences. He says that this knowledge is based on reason rather than faith. He claims that science not only explained many facts of life and the material environment in a way more satisfactory (than religion), but it also provided confirmation of its explanation in practical results.

The term ‘secularisation’ has been used in different ways. Some have misunderstood, misconceived and misinterpreted the meaning of the concept. Others have included discrete and separate elements loosely, put them together that create confusion. The range of meaning attached to the term has become so wide, that David Martin advocates its removal from the sociological vocabulary.

There are two meanings of the word current in modern and modernizing India and even in the whole of this subcontinent. One of the two meanings is found by consulting any standard dictionary. But there is the difficulty in finding the other, for it is non-standard, local meaning which, many like to believe, is typically and distinctively Indian or South Asian.

The first meaning becomes clear when people talk of secular trends in history or economics, or when they speak of secularizing the State. The word secular has been used in this sense, at least in the English-speaking West, for more than three hundred years.

This secularism chalks out an area in public life where religion is not admitted. One can have religion in one’s private life. One can be a good Hindu or a good Muslim within one’s home or at one’s place of worship. But when one enters public life, one is expected to leave one’s faith behind.

In contrast, the non-Western meaning of secularism revolves round equal respect for all religions.

In the Indian context the word has very different meaning from its standard use in the English language. It is held that India is not Europe and hence secularism in India cannot mean the same thing as it does in Europe. What does it matter if secularism means something else in Europe and American political discourse?

As long as there are clear and commonly agreed referents for the world in the Indian context, we should go ahead and address ourselves to the specifically Indian meaning of secularism. Unfortunately the matter cannot be settled that easily. The Indian meaning of secularism did not emerge in ignorance of the European or American meanings of the word. Indian meaning of secularism is debated in its Western genealogies.

New meaning is acquired by the word secularism in India. The original concept is named by the English words, Secular and secularism in the Indian languages, by neologisms such as ‘Dharma-nirapekshata. This is translation of those English words and dharma-nirapekshata is used to refer to the range of meanings indicated by the English term.

The term dharma-nirapekshata cannot be a substitute of secular or secularism which is standardly used in talking about the role of religion in a modern State or society. Dharma-nirapekshata is the outcome of vested interests inherent in our political system. Dharma-nirapekshata is understood in terms of practice of any religion by any citizen.

Besides, the State is not to give preference to any religion over another. But this term is irrelevant in a democratic structure and it bears no application in reality because three principles are mentioned in the liberal-doctrine (Liberty which requires that the State, permits the practice of any religion, equality which requires that State not to give preference to any religion and the principle of neutrality).

Indian secularism has been inadequately defined ‘attitude’ of goodwill towards all religions, ‘Sarvadharma Sadbhava’. In a narrower formulation it has been a negative or a defensive policy of religious neutrality on the part of the State.

Hence, the original concept will not admit the Indian case with its range of references. Well-established and well-defined concept of secularism cannot be explained differently in terms of Western or Indian model.

To Herberg, ‘authentic religion’ means an emphasis on the supernatural, a deep inner conviction of the reality of supernatural power, a serious commitment to religious teaching, a strong element of the theological doctrine and a refusal to compromise religious beliefs and values with those of the wider society.

If there is any trend of decline in any aspect of religion mentioned above, then it is indicative of the process of secularisation. Thus secularization, as Brayan Wilson has defined, refers to the process in which religious thinking, practice and institutions lose social significance. Religion in America is subordinated to the American way of life. It means that religious belief and practices have tended to decline.

Secularism is taken to mean that one’s religious ideals and beliefs should not interfere in general with social, economic and political field. Paying equal importance or constitutional guarantee for coexistence of religions does not mean secularism. There are other aspects of secularism. Secularism is related to rationalism and empiricism.

Secularisation involves reduction of religious influence on men, elimination of some aspects of it which are not beneficial to human welfare, elimination of superstitions and blind beliefs. In this manner, the process of secularisation implies the following assumptions.

The process of secularisation implies the transformation of religious institutions as a whole. There is the need to secularise the religious institutions. This means less emphasis on supernatural power, lack of theological doctrine, and desirability to compromise with religious beliefs and values.

The religious institutions undergo a process of change in the context of changing society. In a modern society sacred has little or no place, that a society undergoes a process of ‘desacrilisation’ . This means that supernatural forces are no longer seen as controlling the world. Action is not directed by religious beliefs.

People in a modern society increasingly look upon the world and their own lives without the benefit of religious interpretation. As a result there is a ‘secularisation of consciousness’. Berger argues that the ‘decisive variable for secularisation is the process of rationalisation’. That is the pre-requisite for any industrial society of the modern type.

Secularisation also implies rationality. Wilson argues that a rational world view is the energy of religion. It is based on testing of arguments and beliefs by rational procedure, on asserting truth by means of factors which can be quantified and objectively measured.

Religion is based on faith. Its claim to truth cannot be tested by rational procedures. A rational world view rejects faith which is the basis of religion. It removes the mystery, magic and authority of religion. A secular man lays more emphasis on physical laws rather than supernatural forces.

The process of secularisation as the most important component of the process of modernisation is occurring in different forms in various contemporary societies. Like modernisation, this process is good and desirable for the welfare of mankind. Finally, it is both a product and a process.

Related Articles:

• Religion: The Meaning and Functions of Religion
• Religion: Short Paragraph on Religion

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• Christianity

The Roman Catholic Church

Updated 12 December 2023

Subject Christianity

Downloads 31

Category Religion

Topic Catholic Church ,  Church

The Catholic Church: A Historical Institution

The Catholic Church has been part of the Christian religion for as long as the church has been established. "The Catholic Church that is also referred to as the Roman Catholic Church to be exact has about a billion followers around the globe" (Stanford, 2017). This number constitutes the people who have been baptised under the Catholic traditions. The Roman Catholic Church has always been considered as one of the oldest functioning institutions that are internationally renowned. "The Catholic Church has played a major role in the reshaping of the world's history as it is a major influence in the establishment of the western civilization" (Marshall, 1844). The church has placed its headquarters in the Roman city where the Bishop of Rome presides over as the chief executive of the church. The term used to define the bishop of Rome is known as The Pope. The administration itself is referred to as the Holy See and is situated within the Vatican City which is an enclave within the Roman city in Italy.

Origin of the Name Catholic

The name Catholic has been used by the church as a distinguishment from the other churches. The name was established after Theodosius the first who was the last emperor of the great Roman Empire established the state church of the Roman Empire.

The Catholic Theology and the Nicene Creed

The Catholic Church is based on the Catholic theology known as the Nicene Creed. This teaching refers to the Catholic Church as the one and only true church created by the apostles after Jesus Christ who founded the Christian faith. In respect to this analogy, the bishops are seen to be the successors of the apostles of Christ and the Pope is regarded as the successor to Saint Peter with whom the mandate was set upon by Jesus Christ Himself. The surmising of this is that the Catholic Church establishes the theory that it is one of the avid practitioners of the original Christian faith with the reservations of infallibility which is to be passed to the next generations as a sacred tradition. Being in Italy, the Latin Church is divided into about twenty-three sections spread out through as the eastern catholic churches and institutions that have such structures as mendicant orders and enclosed monastic orders. All these facilities are a reflection of the various anecdotes that the theological and spiritual emphases in the church.

Veneration of Mother Mary and Catholic Social Teachings

Mother Mary, who in the bible was the mother to Jesus Christ, is venerated as the Mother of God. The Catholic Church views the Mother as the queen of the heavens and has been honoured in several doctrines and devotional prayers. The Catholic Church includes the teaching of sanctification by faith and through this evangelism; the gospel is infused with the Catholic social teachings. Examples of this are where the Catholic priests use modern-day social issues that affect society today with the teachings of the church.

Social Services and Global Influence of the Catholic Church

The church's social teachings are about moral principles that place many emphases on helping those who are in need have helped, to care for the sick and the poor. By helping the afflicted, these actions are deemed to the holy Church as a corporal and spiritual works of mercy. This has made the Catholic Church one of the largest non-government providers of education and health-care in the global community.

The Immense Influence of the Catholic Church

When we discuss the impacts of the Catholic Church, we can estimate that the influence brought about by it in the world is enormous. Many of the western civilizations in terms of their culture, science and art are examples of the Catholic Church's impacts. The world is filled with many Catholics around the globe who are working in missions, Diasporas, and conversions that the church uses to pass their intellectual capabilities to the people in the communities.

Growth and Migration of the Catholic Church

In the twentieth century, many of the Christian Catholics migrated to the south of the European continent where they are situated now. This was because there was a mass persecution of the people inclined to this religion which spread through the Middle East. The secularisation of the middle and northern Europe also was a major influence in the migration of the Catholic Christians to other parts of the world. Because of the migrations, the evangelism of the Catholic Church thrived by growing in the areas where the Christians had gone. For example, during the colonial periods, the Africans were subjected to change from their cultural beliefs to incorporate the Catholic Church's beliefs and traditions. Today, the African continent has been placed among the highest numbers of church-going Catholics. This proves that the Catholic Church has indeed grown from the small creed of apostles to one of the largest non-profit organisations in the world.

A Brief History of the Catholic Church and Criticisms

The history of the Catholic Church is a long one. A brief description of this history is highlighted here in the paper. Before the year one thousand and fifty-four, the Catholic Church shared the communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church. The separation came about because of the West schism which happened the in the year one thousand and fifty-four. The dispute was about the power of the pope which was among the disputes. Other disputes included the use of orientation orthodox churches that had come before the Chalcedonian split. All these disputes were a culmination of the differences in the ways that each group viewed Christian theology. This separation is what led to the establishment of the Protestants who seemed to break away from the Catholics principles of worship. Since the near end of the twenty century, the Catholic Church has been at the receiving end of much criticism because of the doctrines that they pursue on such matters as sexuality and its restrictions towards the ordaining of women into the church's clergy. The church has also been accused of much sexual misconduct that has been connected to its clergy.

Distinctive Practices of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has several practices that distinguish them from the other types of churches (Protestants and the Anglican). These practices that we see today have been in use since the time the church was started. The practices differ in functions. This paper will shed light on some of these practices. To begin with, the paper discusses the seven sacraments.

The Seven Sacraments

The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are one of the most important practices of the institution. Being divided into seven parts, we start with the most important part which is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is considered as the principal sacrament. It is always celebrated during the liturgy in the mass. The church's teachings are passed to the congregational mass through the consecration which is done by a priest. Consecration is a methodology where the sacrificial bread that represents the body of Jesus Christ and wine that represents the blood of Jesus Christ is given to the Christian Catholics. The method is only reserved for the Catholics who are baptised.

The Importance of the Sacraments

The sacraments are used as teachings that were instituted by Christ. The sacraments as stated earlier are seven in number and nature to which they apply are described by a number of ecumenical councils with the most recent council being on the council of Trent. The seven sacraments are stated in this paper. They are Baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, the anointing of the sick which was formally known as extreme unction or one of the last rites, holy orders and holy matrimony. The sacraments act as pillars or signs of God's presence when the mass congregates together. They are considered as the visible rituals that the Catholics can perceive as the effective channels towards God's grace to those of the church who receive them with the appropriate disposition. Catechisms in the Catholic church categorizes the sacraments into three groups where there is the sacrament of Christian initiation, the sacraments of healing and the sacrament that are given as a service of communion and the mission of the people with faith. These three groups are placed intricately to form a reflection of the stages that people undergo through from young lives to their adulthood. The sacraments are intended to serve as the guidelines to the young people to live a life of faith. In a submission to this, it is necessary to understand that the church centralises its mission's to encompass the seven sacraments. All the liturgies given in the Catholic Church are subject to the seven sacraments.

Proper Utilization of the Sacraments

In accordance with the Catholic Church, the sacraments have to be properly utilized as per the church's procedural requests. "The church has placed strict rules on who is to receive these sacraments" (Bokenkotter, 2004). It is noteworthy to establish the fact that the church instils the teachings of the Christ in the Eucharist. Thus it is regarded as a mortal sin to accept the sacraments unless a baptised Catholic has made his confessions. This is usually done by saying a prayer through the priest in an attempt to cleanse one's soul. This absolution is done through the sacrament of penance. Protestants or rather the non-Catholics are prohibited in the participation of these sacraments.

Last Rites, Baptism, and Confirmation

During the near-death experiences that occur in the Catholics lives, the Catholic Church does not permit the application of sacramental rites by a non-ordained preacher. The Catholics are always asked to request an ordained priest of the church to perform their last rites of passage. The same rules are applied to the ordained clergy themselves. No priest is allowed to perform the last rites of passage to any person who has not manifested themselves in the Catholic ways and teachings or is not sanctified by the Holy blood of Jesus Christ.

The initiation to become a Catholic Church attendant begins with the rite of baptism. "Baptism is considered as the first of the three sacraments that are provided by the Catholic Church" (the Vatican.va, 2015). By being baptised, this marks the absolution of all sins which are both the original sin which was committed by Adam and Eve plus the actual personal sins committed by the individual. After completion of the baptism, one can be accepted into the Catholic congregation as a member. The gift of baptism is regarded as a personal gesture of God's welcoming into His congregation. The process is deemed free because it requires no merit. This is the reason why children can be baptised as well. In the Catholic Church, baptism is marked only once making it permanent. This means that the baptised individual cannot be baptised again. In this case, the Catholics have made a few exemptions in regards to the Protestant group. The Catholic Church recognizes any baptism performed by any Christian religion as long as the faith in God is proof. The Catholic Church does not ban people baptised in other churches as long as they intend to do what the Christian rituals entail. This form of acceptance is also known as the Trinitarian baptismal formula.

After a person is baptised, the rite of confirmation is carried out. The sacrament of confirmation is deemed as a requirement of a person to pass into the grace that is provided by baptism. In adults, the rite of confirmation is done immediately after the baptism while in children, there is a grace period provided between the sacrament of baptism and the rite of confirmation. The delay in confirmation is to allow the children to understand first the devotion of Christianity before the confirmation is done. This is usually done at the discretion of the bishop in charge of the area.

In conclusion, the Catholic Church has become a semblance of what Christianity entails as more people converge into this religion. The church itself is historical in nature as it has been a major influence in the shaping of today's modernized world.

Works Cited

Marshall, Thomas William (1844). Notes of the Episcopal Polity of the Holy Catholic Church. London: Levey, Rossen and Franklin. ASIN 1163912190

Stanford, Peter. "Roman Catholic Church". BBC Religions. BBC. Retrieved 1 February 2017.

Bokenkotter, Thomas (2004). A Concise History of the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday. p. 7. ISBN 9780307423481.

"Catechism of the Catholic Church – IntraText – 1362–1364". Vatican.va. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015.

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• Perspectives on Lent

Reflecting on the Lenten Season

People often don’t look forward to Lent. Childhood memories of giving up candy or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross come immediately to mind. Words like “sacrifice,” “discipline,” and “self-denial” are often used in ways that suggest that Lent is something to be endured rather than a time of grace and spiritual growth.

Have you ever thought of Lent as a yearly second chance? Each year the Church gives us six weeks to take a long, loving look at our lives to see if our values and priorities are in line with God’s desires for us. Since most of us find that we’ve wandered from God’s path, Lent becomes that second chance, or do-over, to “return to God with our whole heart.”

We’re highlighting Lenten practices and memories of people who have shared their stories with us. Their experiences range from pious and traditional to creative and out-of-the-ordinary, but all of them represent attempts to make the season of Lent a meaningful time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Invite family members to share their thoughts, hopes, and desires for Lent. Decide to support one another in whatever you choose to do. As you journey through this annual second chance, remember that each step brings you closer to the welcoming arms of our loving God.

YOUR Favorite Lenten Practices

From the breakfast table to the car seat, from writing to drawing, from giving something up to doing something more . . . Let the wisdom and spirit of these stories inspire you in your own Lenten journey.

Around the breakfast table One of my best Lenten practices was begun when my children were in elementary school and I was a working parent. It seemed as though we were struggling to find time to eat dinner as a family and this was greatly disturbing me. I decided that if we were unable to hold the dinner hour sacred due to work schedules and after school activities, I would instead hold the breakfast hour sacred. I made sure to get up each morning during Lent just a little earlier so that I could not only provide breakfast for my family but actually sit together, pray our meal prayer and begin each day on a happy note. It began in Lent and didn’t end until my children went off to college many years later. I learned that Lenten habits could carry far off into the future with my family. The impact was dramatic in that each day was started with a prayer and positive attitudes. Breakfast became and remains one of our favorite rituals of the day. Roberta, IL

Drawing a prayer I took time every day to draw in a sketchbook. I called the time my “God Time.” I wanted to make each day of Lent special by taking time to reflect on God and my relationship to God. Barbara, OH

My Lenten jar I always have nice things that I’d like to do, but never seem to make time to get to: write a letter to a friend, visit a lonely person, call a distant friend. At the beginning of Lent, I write down 40 plus tasks , one per little slip of paper, and toss them in a jar. Then, each morning of Lent, I pull one out and do the task written there. It teaches me that I like surprise and variety in my Lenten practices. For me, this is a simple way to concentrate on the disciplines of giving alms and doing good for others. Mark G., KS

Dialing into God Instead of listening to music or talk radio in my car, I decided to take that time for prayer and to listen to God. At first, it was a difficult transition; the silence was deafening. But soon, I began to enjoy the quiet time. I prayed for people who I knew needed my prayers. I prayed for my family and myself. I also thanked God for my many blessings. I found that I became much more calm and peaceful during this time. This reflective time grounded and centered me to do my best. Donna, NC

A note a day Each day of Lent, through prayer, a name surfaces of a person who has had an impact on my life in some way. I then take the time to write a handwritten note to that person. I have been amazed at the people that have surfaced: from my 3rd grade teacher; to a cousin; to a priest; to a high school student who had written me a note after a presentation I gave at her school. I send the notes without the expectation of a response. Yet, I have received several emails and notes stating how much it meant to the person. Life is too short —we see that with Jesus—but, we have the opportunity to share our thoughts with those who have made an impact (some don’t even know it, until they receive the note). This embodies the idea of Lent: prayer—praying for a specific person each day; fasting —fasting from negative thoughts; and almsgiving—sending a note with affirmations is a great gift to give. Suzanne, NY

Reflection questions:

How do you live out in your own life the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving? What have you learned about yourself, your faith, and God through your own Lenten practices?

YOUR Favorite Lenten Memories

Whether we have decided to do something new this Lent, or have continued our own traditions, our Lenten practices transform us and imprint on us memories that carry deep meaning. Let these stories invite you to look into your life and discover your own powerful and meaningful Lenten moments.

Coming home I had been away from the Church for many years. I did not have an especially strong upbringing in the Church, so it was easy to fall away as a young adult. When my mother died when I was 31, I was very angry at God. After over a year of being angry at God, I felt a really strong need to go to Mass. I ignored that feeling for awhile but found myself in church one Ash Wednesday . There, in the quiet of the Church before the service started, I felt called home. All throughout that Lent, every homily felt like it was spoken directly to me. God let me know, in the death and resurrection of his son, that he was big enough to handle my anger; patient enough to wait for me to heal from it; and that he never stopped loving me. To this day, Lent reminds me of my homecoming! Lori A., WA

Mom knew best Back in the days when kids could walk to church safely early in the morning, I would go to 6:30 Mass at the parish. I had to walk about four or five blocks when in 6th grade, I used to stop for a friend across the street and we went together. One day, in the middle of Lent, a bitter cold morning, I stopped for Pat and found she wasn’t going, I went back home. My surprised Mother asked what I was doing home. “Pat is not going,” I replied. I’ll never forget the look on my Mother’s face as she replied, “Who are you going to Mass for, God or Pat?” Needless to say, I went out to Mass. That question, and lesson, have stuck with me for the rest of my life. Mary, PA

The beauty of simplicity During Good Friday services we were visiting my son’s college campus and went to the Newman Center for the reading of the Passion. Afterwards there was an adoration area set up in what is usually the seating area for the offices. Extremely simple with just a few candles and a cross. It was beautiful! People quietly moved in and out. Students, teachers, families. A very sacred space. RAK, MN

A forgiving family We had a family practice of weekly prayer during Lent that we called Friday Forgiveness. After the evening meal, my husband would read a story of forgiveness from the Bible. I would offer a brief reflection and then we would engage in Friday Forgiveness. Each person would ask every family member for their forgiveness, and the other person would respond by forgiving them. Each person forgave and asked for forgiveness. No particular faults were mentioned, only a general petition for forgiveness. The experience was never routine. It was a time to experience healing and peace returning to our home. JAH, IA

A sacramental desert moment When I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, I used to go hiking in the desert. One Ash Wednesday, there was a sudden downpour. The redrocks were washed and intense in color; a vibrant rainbow appeared; and water pooled in a worn basin in the sandstone. Without thinking, I reached into that water and blessed myself—it was so holy and sacred. The water disappeared into the sandstone and the rainbow into the heavens, but both remain in my heart. Rosemary, New York

The power of symbolic actions My favorite memory and the one that still resounds today, happened when I was in 6th grade during the Holy Thursday liturgy. Just watching the altar as it was stripped bare and realizing that Jesus really was dead had a profound effect on me. Theresa, TX

Can you recall a life-giving Lenten experience? What made it special? What would you like to do this Lent to make it more meaningful for you and your family?

What YOU Learned from the Kids

While helping our children enter into Lent each year and encouraging them in meaningful Lenten practices, their simplicity, fervor, and authenticity can teach us more than the finest sermon.

Seeing Jesus in others A lesson I learned from my children happened one Holy Thursday when we stopped after Mass to pray at the altar of repose. My daughter, who was four years old, watched our fellow parishioners kneel to pray and look reverently on the Blessed Sacrament. As we left she asked, “Why do they kneel down and look like that?” I answered that it was Jesus and they were kneeling because they loved him. She innocently replied, “But if Jesus is in all of us, why don’t they look at each other that way?” Her words have followed me all these years as I sometimes struggle to see the face of Jesus in others. Joanne, NY

I’m being watched I learned that I model for my children how one should act during Lent. Children listen more with their eyes than they do with their ears! S., NY

No sad sacks allowed My children taught me what it means to be a joyful follower of Jesus. M.M.K.

Be prepared I learned from my children that preparation and anticipation are as important as the actual event. L., NJ

Keep trying My children taught me that it’s OK to slip up, but don’t stop trying. J.B.

Seeing is believing My children have taught me to visually put into practice my beliefs about Lent. This way I can demonstrate to them the joy of altering our lifestyle as we draw closer to Christ during Lent. EM, CA

What message do I want to offer others through what I say and do this Lent? What have my children taught me about entering into the season of Lent?

Related Links

Is lent enough, 8 ways to pray during lent, lent—40 days or more, lent through the lens of grace, washing feet serving others during lent.